Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X I I I J U N E 1 5 , 2 0 2 6 20 L E W I S T O N / A U B U R N / W E S T E R N M A I N E F O C U S e museum has deep significance for families like his and for the com- munity, he says. "We have a deep heritage with regard to making shoes here, employing local people, our factories and the things we've worked on for those 58 years," Rancourt continues. "We live in this community, we care about Lewiston and we care about the things that the Maine MILL can exemplify for all the workers who have been part of this community for the last 150 or so years." Yarn mill e former Camden Yarns mill, next to the Androscoggin River, dates to 1864 — a year when Maine textile mills were called on to produce fabric for Civil War uniforms and cotton duck canvas for Union tents. Textile manufacturing there ceased operation in 1992. Much of the build- ing fell into disrepair. e museum worked toward moving there ever since, although slowed by a fire and the pandemic. e 2.5-acre site underwent environmental remediation. e museum razed a portion of the two-story brick building and stabilized and cleaned other parts. e project included construction of an 8,000-square-foot addition, bringing the total space to 22,000 square feet. e project team included Auburn architec- tural firm Platz Associates and Portland construction company Langford & Low, with Darren Crawford as site superintendent. "ey've been absolutely fantastic," Ferrante says. "We were starting with a building where portions of the structure, and neighboring mill buildings, had been demolished, and were given the program of a museum celebrating the past, pres- ent and future," says Tom Platz. e renovated museum houses the permanent collection on the ground floor and rotating exhibits on the second floor. e design team carefully bal- anced preservation with contemporary intervention, creating a museum that honors the site's industrial heritage while providing a welcoming and modern visi- tor experience. "We married a new building to the existing structure and created a glass entryway that ties everything together and brings in ample natural light," Platz says. Illuminated panels roughout the project, architectural features reference the region's textile manufacturing history. e addition is clad in weathering steel panels, called Corten, perforated with thousands of openings patterned after historic weaving punch cards. e pattern depicts a "Martha Washington" bedspread, one of the most iconic products manufactured at Bates Mill, featuring garlands and floral motifs. At night, concealed lighting behind the panels transforms the façade into a glowing landmark. Custom acoustic ceiling panels and wall coverings were also developed using patterns inspired by artifacts in the museum's collection. "e interiors acknowledge and celebrate the industrial character of the mill buildings while creating spaces that feel contemporary and accessible," says Platz's colleague, Gabrielle Russell. 'Wow' moments "It is not a big museum," notes Platz. "We had to face the fact that this community did not have the budget of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so we had to carefully choose our 'wow' moments." Among those moments are the dramatic glass entry hall with its 38-foot ceiling and the museum's centerpiece: a one-and-a-half-story Jacquard loom. Invented in the early 19th century, the loom revolutionized textile manufacturing. Displaying the loom required cutting an opening through the gal- lery floor and surrounding it with frameless glass, allowing visitors to experience it from both levels. e installation accommodates the loom at its full height and demonstrates how it would have been threaded and operated. Says Ferrante, "Having the archi- tectural vision to find a way to display one of our key pieces, and let it shine the way it would have originally, was a design challenge that was accom- plished beautifully." Larger galleries e new spot features larger galleries, classrooms, a design lab, a children's area and an event space. Displays include historical items not previously on view and expand the museum's capacity to present both its permanent collection and tem- porary exhibitions. ere are year- round exhibitions and educational programming, as well as partnerships with artists, schools and community organizations. Presented thematically, the perma- nent collection focuses on community, labor, innovation and Maine today. Rather than a linear chronology, the approach is to bring objects, stories and voices into conversation across time, highlighting changing people, industries and ideas and create an evolving portrait of the state, connect- ing historical experience to commu- nity life today. This new building represents a major step forward not just for Maine MILL, but for the community we serve. — Rachel Ferrante Maine MILL P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Maine MILL's new home is in a redeveloped yarn mill with an 8,000-square-foot addition. We had to carefully choose our 'wow' moments. — Tom Platz Platz Associates

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